a 2-day multimedia exhibition reflecting upon the political and economic crisis in Puerto Rico and its history as a colony of the United States.

On June 29th the Congress of the United States of America passed the PROMESA ACT. This law has explicit human rights violations. A direct impact upon the lives of over 3.5 million U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico. This exhibition is a reaction to this act of violence.

This exhibit intends to shed light light upon the PROMESA bill that was passed in June 2016, which will establish a Fiscal Oversight Board that can override Puerto Rico’s government. This board will have authority to privatize public institutions, change labor laws, and act upon other matters that are seen as human rights violations by the Puerto Rican population. The existence of this Fiscal Oversight Board reverts Puerto Rico from a territory with autonomous rule (commonwealth), to a colony directly overseen by a board of individuals appointed by the U.S. Government. This is a place where 3 million U.S. citizens reside, who cannot vote on the Presidential elections and now cannot participate in the decision-making process that intends to restructure the 72 billion dollar debt that was created in the 80s by questionable legislation that deregulated business practices and gave extraordinary tax exemptions to U.S. businesses.

VIDEO LOOPS

“Bizcocho” is a Pillsbury ad from 1950s projected inside the silhouette of the island of Puerto Rico as a commentary on imperialism. “I am not sorry” is a video loop of Lola Lebron, a Puerto Rican nationalist who was convicted of a shooting at the U.S. Congress.